Menu Plan Monday — March 9th-15th

Last week when I made the Pioneer Woman's Marlboro Man's Favorite Sandwiches, I failed to tell you the side I would be making with it. I failed to tell you any of the sides I'd be making all week, but that's beside the point. I made PW Onion Strings, and let me just say, that is one of the most wonderful things I've ever made in my life.

Now I must say that with it being fried and me not eating much fried food on a regular basis, I felt a little sluggish afterwards. Of course it could be the fact that I'd probably eaten the equivalent of an entire onion all by myself, again beside the point.

I also have a stove that is not closed in on top. I don't even know if they can make a gas stove and close it in without putting grates across it. Would it blow up? The oven doesn't. I'm digressing. There is a point there though. The clean-up from the Onion Strings and Marlboro Man Sandwiches was quite extensive.

So by the time Wednesday rolled around, Crispy Chicken Fingers weren't looking so good to me, plus I wanted a day off before I greased myself up again. I won't plan multiple fried foods in a week ever again! We had enough of the sandwich meat for those who wanted leftovers anyway, and I fixed the pickier people Kraft Mac & Cheese. It's a pantry staple at our house. I buy it at Sam's Club in bulk in a 15-box pack.

Everything got bumped a day, so now I have the Beef and Noodles I planned for Friday for this week. Here are the cookbooks and a new Taste of Home specialty recipe magazine I will be using this week. I'll show you the recipes at the bottom of the post if they aren't linked somewhere else.



Monday — Beef and Noodles.

Tuesday — Swiss Chicken Casserole from the Southern Living 1990 Annual Recipes. Every single one of my kids loves this.

Wednesday — Country-Style Pork Loin from Taste of Home. This is a new recipe for us.

Thursday —Cheesy Potato Pie from the Busy Mom's Cookbook. This is like a breakfast casserole. I tweak it a bit, so when I show the recipe I'll include my changes. We love this! So did my father-in-law when he visited us.

Friday — Cheesy Sausage Penne from Taste of Home. This is also a new recipe for us. I'm trying it this week and then a Cavatini from Lora next week.

Saturday — Beef Stew. My BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) leader made this for me right after Buddy was born when we lived in Baton Rouge. It was so delicious. I tweak this recipe just a bit, but only slightly. It is absolutely fantastic!

Sunday — Eat out since we ate in all week again!

Swiss Chicken Casserole
from Southern Living 1990 Annual Recipes

6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
6 (4x4 inch) slices Swiss cheese (I just cover the entire top with Swiss cheese, and I think they are rectangular slices)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/4 cup milk
2 cups herb-seasoned stuffing mix
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted (of course I use butter!)

Arrange chicken in a greased 13 x 9 inch baking dish. Top with cheese. Combine soup and milk; stir well. Spoon over chicken; sprinkle with stuffing mix. Drizzle butter over crumbs; cover and bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes. Yield: 6 servings.

Cheesy Potato Pie
from The Pampered Chef Busy Mom's Cookbook (with my tweaking)

1 medium onion (sometimes)
2-4 T vegetable oil
1 large package frozen hash browns, can also use Southern-style, but I have trouble finding them
12 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 cups grated Cheddar cheese (I usually use one of the Kraft 8-oz shredded mix packages)
1 pkg bacon, cooked and crumbled

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coarsely chop onion. Heat oil in a large skillet — I use a 12-inch family size one — over medium-high heat. Add onion and frozen potatoes to pan. Cook over medium high heat, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, beat eggs with milk, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Stir in cheese.

Pour egg mixture over potatoes and stir gently. Sprinkle bacon on top. If you are using an oven-safe skillet you can place it directly in the oven and bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until eggs are set. If not, transfer to a 9 x 13 casserole, which is what I usually do even though my skillet is oven-safe, and bake until eggs are set. It usually takes a little longer than with the skillet; just watch it closely.

Beef Stew

2 generous T olive oil
3 lbs stew meat
2 garlic cloves
8 cups very hot water
2 T salt
2 T lemon juice
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp Worchestershire Sauce
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp paprika
2 dashes cloves (I live on the edge and do three or four a lot)
1 jar pre-peeled pearl onions, drained
1 bag of baby carrots (sometimes I use two)
Your potato preference, peeled and cubed (if I use russet, I would do probably five or six medium-sized)

Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven. My pan is an 8-qt pan. Add stew meat. Brown on all sides, keeping cubes turning (use tongs). Don't hurry. It should take about 20 minutes.

Next add the garlic using a garlic press for the two cloves of garlic. Then add the water, salt, lemon juice, sugar, Worchestershire Sauce, pepper, paprika, and cloves. Cover and gently simmer for 2 hours. Stir now and then to prevent sticking, about every 20 to 30 minutes. When meat is done add the vegetables — the jar of pearl onions, drained, carrots and potatoes. Simmer 30 minutes to an hour longer until everything is tender.

To thicken the stew, pour 1/2 cup cold water into a shaker, then add 1/4 cup flour. Shake hard to blend. (You could just stir in a bowl if you didn't have a shaker.) Push meat and vegetables to one side of the pan the best that you can. Stir in flour mixture slowly. Cook and stir until gravy thickens. I will make the flour mixture a second time if it needs to be thicker, because I like my stew thick.

This makes a lot of stew. We usually have plenty for leftovers for lunch and dinner again.

For more great menu ideas, visit I'm An Organizing Junkie.

Awana Bible Quizzing

Today was a big day for Buddy — Awana Bible Quizzing for Book 4 in Truth & Training! He had quizzed for Book 1 in Illinois when he was in 3rd grade, and then the last two years while we were in Virginia our club did not participate in quizzing. So this was his first year to quiz since the 3rd grade.

Our church had two two-people teams quizzing for Book 4. One was made up of two girls, and here was Buddy's team before they got started this morning:

I whited out their names and our church name on their tags.

The last few weeks the question Hubby and I have been fielding has been, "Does Buddy mind being on a team with a girl?" Our answer was, "No, he has sisters."

His teammate's parents have been fielding a similar question, "Does she mind being on a team with a boy?" Their answer was not no because she has brothers, which she does, but instead, "No, as long as he's good."

It's all about priorities with us girls, isn't it?

Both Buddy and his teammate won individual ribbons for getting a perfect 10 out of 10 on the multiple choice section of the quiz. They also won second place overall for Book 4. Here they are with their team coach, who also happens to be the lady who cut my hair a little over a week ago. Small world...

Congratulations! We're proud of all that time you put in studying.

Blog Tour And Contest: Direction By Cheri Cowell

This is something new I'll be doing occasionally and it will often include an opportunity to have your name included in a drawing. Currently Kathy Carlton Willis Communications is promoting Christian non-fiction, but there are plans to add fiction later this year.

One commenter on this post will be randomly selected and have their name sent to KCWC, and all other blog tour hosts will be doing the same thing. One winner will be chosen at random from the submitted names to win a gift basket. I'll show you at the end of the post what will be included.

In addition to that, the name that I randomly select and submit from my commenters will receive a previous blog tour book I received and didn't have a chance to promote because it was around the time of our auto accident. It is Guided By Him To a Thinner, Not So Stressed-Out You! by Julie Morris, R.N. and Sarah Morris Cherry, M.Ed., L.P.C.


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Now on to the current blog tour:

Feeling Lost? Need Directions?
Author Shares Six Tips for Finding Your Route

(Orlando, Florida) Have you ever wished you could look into the future and obtain better insight in order to make wiser decisions for your best outcome? So many times, results from poor choices could have been avoided if we had seriously considered the direction of God's guidance for our lives, instead of trying to figure things out on our own. In her book, Direction: Discernment for the Decisions of Your Life, Cheri Cowell presents six questions readers should ask themselves when facing important decisions. Through observation and exploration, she examines each question and shares examples of how others--from Bible times to present day--have used these questions to find God's way in the story of their lives. From career options to medical decisions to relationship questions, Cowell's instruction and guidance helps readers learn how to make confident choices as they seek God's direction on the road of life.

Paperback: 192 pages

Publisher: Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City

ISBN-10: 0834123355

ISBN-13: 978-0834123359

Cost: $14.99

Cheri Cowell, a popular conference speaker and writer, uses her experience in ministry to encourage and equip Christians seeking answers to the unspoken questions of faith. She is earning a degree in theological studies at Asbury Theological Seminary in Orlando, Florida, where she and her husband, Randy, call home.

For more information, see: http://directionanddiscernment.com/index.html

Blog Tour Questions:

Obviously, the search for God’s will is a topic of interest to many Christians today. What would you say is the most common misconception about seeking God’s direction for ones life?

I encounter this same question every time I speak on this topic. The answer is what I call the Myth of the Path of Relative Ease, which says when we finally find God’s perfect will we’ll be on easy street. Easy Street promises smooth sailing and a peace-filled life. But I’ve learned this is anything but biblical. The Bible tells us we can’t use an ‘easy life’ as a road-sign pointing to His way. In fact, His way promises to be a bumpy road filled with potholes and dangerous cliffs. The exciting thing for us is when we learn to walk in His ways, we’ll have a Companion for the journey who knows the dangerous curves ahead.

In Direction, you write about the process of determining if something is God’s will or not. You say to test it against the character of God. How can we know what the character of God is like?

I don’t presume to know all there is to know about who God is, but when looking for the leading hand of God, it’s important to know how we see that hand. Some see God’s guidance as that of a loving Father showing His child the best way to live so as to protect from harm, others know Him as a Best Friend who shares all that’s needed to make wise decisions. Then there are those who see God as a Guide, almost like a whitewater rafting guide who’s been down this rapid before and can show the way.

When you are personally faced with a big decision to make, what’s the first thing you do?

LOL, I think I’m like most people. I have well-worn paths I retreat to, and some are not healthy. I’m afraid I tend to talk it out with friends instead of first talking to my Best Friend. I’m fear-filled first instead of crawling up in my Father’s heavenly lap and seeking His heart on the matter. And yes, I also rely on the common road signs most of us have relied upon when making big decisions—Bible reading, prayer, open & closed doors, and the sense of peace we’re to have when walking in God’s light. This last list sounds like a good thing, but I’ve learned there’s a good way to do this and a not-so-good way. The not-so-good way is the one that says these road signs are to point me to God’s perfect will. The ‘good way’ is to use these same road signs as a means of drawing closer to the heart of God instead of looking for a hidden will. It is in this position, close to the heart of God, where we are best able to hear from God.

Sometimes we think we only need to go to God about the big decisions in our lives. What evidence do you have from God’s Word that He is interested in every decision?

I call this the Too Big and Too Small God problem. When we make our God so big, He becomes aloof and distant. When we buy into this lie we only go to God when the decision is big enough. Such decisions often find us at God’s door begging for direction such as, “Who am I supposed to marry; should I take this job and move my family; or is it ever okay to take my loved one off life support?” These are indeed big decisions that require a Big God, but if we’re only going to God when a situation is big enough, we’re missing most of life. Most of life is lived in the humdrum of everyday decision-making. It is the ordinary day-in-and-day-out little things like, “’Do I run this yellow light; do I tell her how I really feel even if it means losing a friend; or do I pick up the phone and call that person I’ve been thinking about all day?” where the little things add up to become big things. Satan tries to tell us these are the small things a Big God should not be bothered with. This is one of his favorite tools. He used these same lies with Jesus during His temptation in the desert, but Jesus knew they were lies. We, too, need to learn to identify Satan’s lying tongue.

You’re continuing your education at Asbury Theological Seminary. What are you hoping to do once you finish your degree?

It is my prayer to write and speak biblical truths more effectively. I am so blessed to have this opportunity to earn a Masters in Theological Studies. As I gain more knowledge, I’ve seen my writing and speaking gain power and conviction.

When a Christian is totally consumed and overwhelmed by the stress of making the right decision, it is tough to put everything in perspective. Are there some practical tips you can share so that he/she can still continue with their everyday life?

Certainly. My first suggestion is to take time to be alone with God. Our God-time is often the first casualty of a stress-filled life, but this is precisely the time when we need Him the most. Next, find some help. The Christian life is not to be a solitary event. Even Jesus went to the Garden with four friends. Share with a handful of committed Christians your struggles, ask for practical help if necessary, and then invite them to lift you up in intercessory prayer. This last step is forming what I call a Clearness Community. Through this Community you will hear God’s voice more clearly than any one of us can discern on our own.

How is Direction an extension of your own personal search for God’s will?

As I answer these questions I’m sitting in Tennessee in a vacation cabin where my husband and I are seeking God’s direction about a potential move here from our home in Florida. My friends have teased, “You know, there’s this really good book you should read…” Their levity allows me to keep things in perspective as we weigh the options, seek the leading of the Holy Spirit, and trust in a God who walks with us no matter what decisions we make.

One lucky blog tour commenter, not necessarily one of mine, although I hope it is, will win this lovely gift basket:

Here's what's included:

Books —
Direction: Discernment for the Decisions of Your Life by Cheri Cowell
Direction: A Companion Workbook for Practicing the Process of Discernment by Cheri Cowell
God's Handprints: True Stories of God's Presence in the Everyday Lives of His People
Trusting God's People Again
Give Thanks: Glimpses of an Extraordinary God in Ordinary Lives
When God Waits: Making Sense of Divine Delays
If God is Everywhere, Why Can't I Find Him
Simple Little Words: What You Say Can Change a Life
Heartwarmers of Love: Award Winning Stories of Love, Romance, Friends, and Family

Other Goodies —
Headed in the Right Direction? notecards
Slice Apple Pie shaped/scented candle
Apple shaped stress ball
Direction JewelryTM (bracelet, earrings, and bookmark with glass apple charms)

A decorative apple/fruit themed basket

All comments must be received by 10 p.m. EST on Sunday, March 15th. If I can figure out how, I'm even going to put up a sticky post. Remember, whoever the random selection is whose name gets sent on to have a chance at the gift basket will win the Guided By Him book from me. Good luck!

Tour The House: Half A Bath

Not as in a half-bath, but as in half of my master bath.

For two very good reasons...one is that my glass shower really needs a good cleaning.

And no, I did not pick the glass. I prefer to be hidden.

But it really makes you work quickly to get that deadlock put on your bathroom door.

I kid. But I am fastidious about making sure that door is locked.

The second reason is that I have a huge blank wall above my tub. I am still at a loss as to what to put there. Totally blank. No ideas. I usually at least have a thought.

So here is the other wall, which will come as a great surprise to my friend Monica.

Because when we went to Ikea in December, here is what we bought for me Hubby to put on the bathroom wall.

That is obviously not what is on my wall.

Before we hung those shelves I did the 'just hold these up so I can see how they'll look' scenario with Hubby, and I didn't like them. The original idea was to have a shelf that wouldn't be that obvious hanging on the wall. These have a frosted glass shelf that slides into the floating brushed silver bracket. It was just too many finishes for my bathroom, and a little too modern. So we returned them.

Instead, we bought the black floating shelves you see in the picture. Yes, floating. No, not at Ikea. Shocking, I know.

We have had a lot of floating shelves in the past, and we have many already up in this house, but these drooped. Badly. It bothered us every time we walked in that room although we never spoke about it. So when we went to Ikea last Friday night, on one of my little sojourns down an aisle, I found shelf brackets. That is why I wander. I get ideas. And this one was fantastic!

We bought four shelf brackets in a black iron finish and hung them under the shelves to prop them up. We didn't even attach them to the shelves, just anchored them in the wall.

Voila, problem solved!

Now I love half of my master bathroom.

Plus a little more since I love the actual tub. How can you not love a tub that is so big you look like a two-year-old taking a bath?

And now I have a question — do you leave your toothbrushes and toothpaste out on the counter? I do. I have them in a decorative glass container, but it's hard to fancy up your toothbrushes and toothpaste. But I can't put them under my counter. That gives me the heebie-jeebies. What about you?

Friday Date Night

Oh, the joy!

I needed another four-cube cubbie for my scrapbooking room. That's exactly what happened when I was doing the school room. There seems to be a pattern evolving.

So Hubby said he would take me on Friday night. He hadn't been feeling so well for a couple of days, so I said I'd wait, although I had a list going already of what I needed. That was all the encouragement he needed.

Now at this point I just looked at Hubby and told him I'd always had a list. Granted, sometimes it was a little more vague like 'some kind of cabinet for towels', but I did have a list.

I also reminded him that the last two times he'd taken me, the last of which was for my birthday, that he had not been too happy when we left. After about an hour he goes downhill fast. But he said he was up for it.

When I go in the Ikea store, the first thing I do is ride the escalator to the upstairs portion. It's where all the room displays are set up and some of the kids' items you can purchase are located. I always start out straight and then take a left and make the circle clockwise. I have never even thought about it.

We are about halfway around and Hubby asked me if I realized I was always going against the flow of traffic. Now I am not normally a ditzy person, but I've never noticed. I suppose I am just too entranced. Hubby proceeds to show me the very large circles on the floor with very large arrows in the middle that are pointed in the opposite direction to which I always go. These things are somewhere between 12" and 18" in diameter. They really shouldn't be hard to miss. But I did. Next time I'm taking a picture.

My answer to Hubby was, "This is a foreign store so they walk the wrong way just like they drive on the wrong side of the road." At least it's wrong to me. We'll see if I twitch the next time I go and walk around the way the arrows show me I'm supposed to.

Well, one of my favorite things at Ikea I purchased for the first time when Monica was visiting in December. They are plastic bookends.

I purchased four in December to use in Sparky's room. She has some of her books on top of her two dressers and no way for them to stand up. This was a very inexpensive and almost invisible option.


When Hubby took me back for my birthday, which was at the end of December but I didn't get to go until after my in-laws left in January, I bought ten more. I used some of them up on top of the cubbies in my scrapbooking room to hold albums and things upright.

There is also a single bookshelf located in our rec room where I used a couple.

I had too many books for the shelves, but based on how I was organizing them these particular books needed to be with this shelf. So I put them on top with the plastic bookends holding them up.

This time the plastic bookends were marked down even cheaper than usual — 39 cents each. I bought 20! I figured I would use them eventually, and I'm afraid the markdown means they are discontinuing them. I found a solution while I was there for the two shelves we have in our master bathroom, but I'm going to post about that separately another day. I also kept fairly well to my list, Hubby didn't walk off and leave me behind, and he was pleased that we walked out of the store before it was officially closed.

He was proud of how well he did, but seeing as how we didn't get there until right after 7:30 and were there less than and hour and a half, I don't think that counts. Let me take him on a Saturday and really test his resolve!

The funniest thing that happened while we were there was when I spotted another couple. We were down on the bottom floor in the home organization area. Hubby and I will usually walk down the larger middle aisle, and then I'll float off down the sides to check stuff out. This other couple was walking down the middle, she left him there to look at stuff, but as she walked off she looked back with this twinkling in her eye. I imagine it's somewhat akin to the twinkle I have in mine when I'm there. Her Hubby was just standing in the middle waiting, hanging over his cart, much like mine does. I pointed it out so Hubby would realize we weren't alone, but he saw it all take place.

And to hold me over between visits, this beauty:

Menu Plan Monday — March 2nd-8th

I updated the Mexican Beef Casserole recipe slightly from last week's post. It was definitely a keeper.

Another keeper — the Tangy Beef Barbecue Sandwiches were awesome! They were so much more flavorful than the recipe I used a couple of weeks ago. I am actually going to decrease the salt by half in the recipe next time, because I thought it tasted salty. And if I think it tastes salty, it must be at least a little bit.


This is going to be another week with a combination of new and old.

Monday — Sam's Club Pizza, because I haven't been to the store and I won't be prepared for anything better.

Tuesday — Pioneer Woman Marlboro Man's Favorite Sandwiches.

Wednesday — Crispy Chicken Tenders. Since I never made them last week.

Thursday — PW Ranch Style Chicken.

Friday — Beef and Noodles.

We will be out of town for the weekend, so I don't have to make any plans!

For more great menu ideas, visit The Organizing Junkie.

Mexican Beef Casserole

***UPDATED RECIPE***

Last week for Menu Plan Monday I shared one of the recipes I'd be making, Mexican Beef Casserole. I need to update the recipe slightly after having talked with my mom and making it this last week.

Mexican Beef Casserole
from my mom

2 lbs ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1/2 lb grated American cheese
***1 pkg Doritos (I used a large package of white corn chips because I'm not sure they make plain Doritos anymore)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can Rotel
***1 can chili beans
2/3 cup water

While my ground beef was cooking, I shredded the American cheese with my Pampered Chef cheese grating thing. The package of cheese I bought was sliced but not individually wrapped, and it was a little more than 1/2 a pound.

I crushed half of the corn chips at a time. I put them in a glass bowl and used a pastry cutter. That works so much better than anything else I've ever done, and it is super fast.

This is all the corn chips crushed.

When my mom sent me the recipe she left out the can of chili beans. She thought Hubby couldn't have any beans at all because of his gout. It is a food that he has to watch, but not one of his worst triggers that he doesn't touch. So I put the beans in.

You might notice this is not a regular flat casserole dish. It's supposed to be made in a 'taller' one. Those are my mom's words. I am not an owner of a lot of different cooking dishes because in my limited mind, that constitutes clutter. So when I called, cooking already in process, and asked about the pan size, she said she always used an old square Corning Ware dish. The only thing I had that would hold this was a Pampered Chef 'bowl' that also serves as a lid to a round baker. I was getting worried as I searched in my cabinets!

Soup mixture.

Halfway layered.

Ready to go in the oven.

It took somewhere between 25 and 30 minutes to cook.

Yummy!

There was only enough left for two people to have leftovers.

What I would do differently: I will try it with a pre-shredded bag of cheese next time, probably the Mexican blend. American isn't my favorite unless it's on a grilled cheese sandwich. I will probably up the garlic salt to a full teaspoon, and as I did leave out the onion and just sprinkled onion powder on the cooking beef, I will probably be a little more generous with my sprinkles next time.

It was pretty quick and definitely easy. Yummy, too.